Late Night Lessons
by love.u.always.mom
Summary: Eric catches Tris in the training room late at night, trying to teach herself something not in the standard initiation curriculum and decides to help her along. Not sure how long it will be, but if you're looking for a quick fix this is what you want! Shameless Eris smut, rated 'M' for a very good reason. Not for anyone under 18 years old! If you recognize it, it's not mine. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Just some smut that I needed to get out of my system. Yes there will be more, though chances are this won't be an actual story so much as just an excuse for shameless smut. **

**Rated 'M' for a reason (see the phrase "shameless smut" above if you're confused).**

**If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

**Hope you enjoy, leave me a review at the end please!**

Eric opened the door to the training room late at night, having just returned from Erudite with Jeanine's warning still ringing unpleasantly in his ears. It made him want to punch something. So, he was going to punch something.

He was just getting ready to lay into one of the punching bags when the sound of heavy breathing stopped him, and he bit back a growl of frustration. Could he not just be alone for a while? What the hell? He was about ready to yell at the other person to fuck off when the rhythm of the breathing caught his attention, and a wide grin spread across his face. It sounded like someone was having a good time over in the alcove, or trying to anyway. He had to give them their props, if they were going to get busy in here, that was the place to do it. There were cameras all over the compound, but none of them had a view of that particular corner.

Of course, it also meant that it had to be initiates, because any member of Dauntless had the privacy of their apartment. He stalked over silently, grinning in anticipation of ruining someone's good time. Nothing better for a bad mood than interrupting horny teenagers.

As he got closer he could hear the breathing belonged to a girl. He also couldn't hear anyone else present, so clearly she was alone, whoever she was. He wondered who it was as he crept along the wall, inching toward the corner where he could peek over. Probably a Dauntless born, not many of the transfers would probably have figured out the cameras already. The idea of watching occurred to him, but he shoved it away quickly. He may be a bastard, but he wasn't a total lecher.

Finally he reached his vantage point, the tension in his muscles, his nervousness and his frustration with Jeanine all but evaporated as he prepared to get a serious laugh over some poor girl's humiliation.

Eric leaned around the corner just enough to see into the alcove, and his mouth dropped open in shock as he saw her, flat on her back with her eyes closed and pants around her knees.

The stiff. The fucking stiff was masturbating in the training room, in the middle of the night.

The shock held him in place long enough for him to notice something. Though her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily, it was obvious she wasn't getting much of anything out of it. His eye caught on the movement of her wrist and the pose of her hand, and he realized she didn't really have a clue what the hell she was doing. Shit, it was probably the first time she had even tried, and she was probably going to give in to frustration and give up soon.

He knew he really should just walk away and leave her to it. He wasn't going to stop her, not now. As someone who masturbated on a very regular basis, he wasn't about to deny her the opportunity.

If it seemed like she was going to manage it.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he bit back a laugh as he thought of it. Obviously she had no experience with anything sexual, or her own body for that matter.

And what kind of man would he be if he didn't at least show her how to pleasure herself?

He knew his logic was lecherous and convoluted, but the idea of someone not knowing how, of never having the experience made him cringe. And really, it wasn't her fault. That damned faction of hers discouraged everything that had anything to do with yourself, and if anything would be considered selfish, it would be a good beat off at the end of the night.

Silently he crept toward her, thankful for his naturally light tread as he knelt down silently on the edge of the mat she was on. Now he was closer, he realized her problem. She was using just her index finger in a simple in and out motion. The poor girl hadn't even fallen upon the secret weapon that was guaranteed to give her what she needed.

Eric held his breath carefully, waiting for her to shift just the tiniest bit. After a few seconds she did, shifting her wrist to the side just enough.

Careful not to touch her anywhere else, Eric reached down between her legs and stroked the pad of his index finger across her clit.

Tris jumped a mile as her eyes flew open, and when they locked on him her cheeks burned crimson. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He wasn't surprised either. What would one say in such a position, caught their first time by someone they loathed?

As much as he wanted to laugh at her expression, he bit it back. The only way he was going to avoid getting punched was if he came across as kind, or at least not ridiculing her.

"Shhh, Tris," he cooed softly, attempting to relax her. "Move your hand, I'll show you."

She stared at him with huge eyes and he tried to put a comforting smile on his face. After a moment, she moved her hand out of the way, and he moved his own into position, stroking and circling her clit with his middle finger.

Eric adjusted his position, laying down beside her as he continued to stroke her. It didn't take long for her to respond to his touch, for her hips to begin to lift upwards instinctively.

"There you go. It may be tiny, but trust me when I say your clit is the secret."

She watched him carefully, looking like she wanted to be confused but couldn't focus on anything but the pleasure he was invoking.

"And also, you're going to need more than one finger," he told her matter-of-factly as he let his hand slip down farther, sinking his first two fingers inside her in one deft stroke.

The sudden movement startled her, and she gasped in surprise at the sudden intrusion. Eric adjusted himself again, using his legs to flatten her own onto the floor and positioning himself half on top of her.

Very carefully, he placed the heel of his hand against her clit as he began pushing his fingers inside her, insuring that every stroke was still accentuated by a rub to her clit.

Tris's eyes had closed again, and her head tilted back as her mouth fell open. She moaned as her body began to spasm around his fingers, making him groan.

Unable to help himself, he leaned down and whispered directly in her ear. "You would feel so fucking great around my dick, you know that stiff?"

She let out another moan, louder this time in response and he picked up the pace, pushing her closer to the edge. Wincing slightly at the volume, he brought his face to hers.

"Just need to keep you a little quieter baby, don't need to be caught right now," he whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss.

She was tentative at first, obviously she had no experience at all. Being from Abnegation, he wasn't surprised. He kissed her slowly, softly to let her catch on to the rhythm and motions.

He hooked his fingers slightly, searching out one particular spot with the calloused pads of his fingers. She let out a sharp cry when he found it, allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth as she did.

He could feel her hovering right on the cusp, and with a deliberate movement of the heel of his hand and another quick stroke inside her she came, arching herself up into his hand as he covered her mouth with his to muffle the sound.

Her body shuddered as her orgasm washed through her, and he kept up a steady rhythm until he felt her quit spasming around his fingers. He slid his fingers out of her and lifted his mouth from hers in the same moment. While she was coming back to herself, he reached down and grasped the hem of her pajama bottoms, sliding them back in place to make her feel better. He was an asshole, but he didn't actually want to completely humiliate her.

If it were anyone else and it hadn't been painfully obvious it was their first time trying to pleasure themselves he wouldn't have been nearly as kind, but the idea of possibly putting her off ever wanting to again was more than enough motivation.

His erection was throbbing insistently, but he ignored it for the time being as he watched her.

"First time?" He asked softly. Her cheeks flamed red in response.

"Don't be embarrassed," Eric soothed, "everyone's got a first time."

"Why aren't you humiliating me or making fun of me?" She asked him warily. "I mean, I'm glad you're not but why? Why would you be… nice, I guess?"

"Because frankly, I feel like masturbating is something everyone should be able to enjoy. Originally that was exactly my intent, to come over here and humiliate the hell out of the poor bastard who picked the wrong place and time to have some fun."

Funnily enough, she relaxed then. It must have been because that sounded much more in character for him.

"But it was obvious pretty quickly that you didn't know what you were doing or how to please yourself. And the idea of someone not being able to made me feel bad, so I decided to help you out." He winked at her, making her blush again.

"Well there's got to be something in it for you Eric. Forgive me for not thinking you're quite that selfless."

This time he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Didn't you notice?" He asked softly.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Notice what?"

Eric flexed his hips, pressing his erection firmly against her thigh. "Trust me when I say I enjoyed it very much."

Her eyebrows rose as she felt him against her, and some of the color drained from her cheeks.

"And how exactly does something that size fit?" She asked incredulously.

"Your body is designed to accommodate, within reason anyway." He wanted to laugh at her ignorance, but he knew that it wasn't a good idea right now. The last thing he wanted to do was push her off the subject of sex altogether, make her feel like it was something to be embarrassed about.

"So you're saying that," she gave his crotch a significant glance, "would fit inside me? Really?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. And what's more, you would love it," he purred seductively.

"I still don't believe you."

Eric laughed aloud at her response, though he couldn't entirely blame her for the assumption.

"Do you need me to prove it?"

His voice was low and husky, and he saw her shiver slightly at his tone. If he hadn't been laying down already, the shock of her response would have knocked him over.

"And what if I do? Would you?"

Eric rolled fully on top of her and put his lips directly at her ear. "Over and over again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another chapter for everyone. I'm not sure how long it will end up being, but I can promise you it won't end... Ah... Prematurely, shall we say? ;) **

**Anyhoo, here it is. Enjoy, and please review at the end!**

Eric felt the shiver roll down Tris's spine as his teeth grazed her earlobe. He pulled back and stared down at her, knowing his gaze was full of lust and entirely unable to help it. Something about her had him extremely turned on, he was hard as a rock and dying to fuck her.

The tone of her voice when she spoke next was so different from before that it took a moment for it to sink in.

"Why do you want me?" Her voice was small, almost insecure, if he had to put a word to it.

"What do you mean why?" He returned, propping himself up on his elbows to stare at her. She frowned slightly and averted her eyes. Definitely insecure.

"I look like a child," she said softly. "There are a ton of girls here who look like women and you want me. Why?"

"You certainly didn't look like a child when I walked over here," he reminded her with a grin. "I want you because you turn me on," he told her honestly. "I have no words for what that did to me, coming over here and seeing you like that." Eric flexed his hips again, pressing his erection to the same place his hand had been working not all that long ago.

"It just seems..." She paused, looking for the right word, though he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say. "Wrong," she concluded after a moment of thought, "dirty, like I should be ashamed."

Eric could already see the guilt and shame in her eyes, threatening to overwhelm her. Breaking through her Abnegation upbringing would not be easy, but he had to find a way. He couldn't let her feel ashamed of herself and her body this way.

"Your body is wired to feel pleasure Tris. Sex isn't just something to make babies, despite what you've been taught."

She gave him a look of surprise, clearly shocked he knew what the Abnegation taught about sex. "The fact that it feels good, the fact that you want more, that's nothing to be ashamed of. You shouldn't be ashamed of your body and what it's wired to do."

His gray eyes were wide, honest and open, and for once he was speaking directly from his heart. If there was anything he couldn't stand about Abnegation, it was the way they made kids feel like enjoying anything was a horrible thing.

"I want to believe that," she told him. "It's just difficult. Everyone I've ever been around or talked to about sex at all has reinforced that it's a necessity to have kids, but selfish otherwise because you get enjoyment out of it. I've never met anyone who said otherwise."

Her words gave him a sudden, perhaps ridiculous idea, but it was all he could come up with and he latched onto it desperately. Maybe if she saw him, watched him lay back and pleasure himself without the slightest hint of guilt or shame, maybe it would help her. He had never been much for audiences, but if it helped her get more comfortable with herself it was worth it. Eric held a sneer at bay. Anything to unroot those bogus damned Abnegation teachings that were causing her so much grief.

In one smooth movement, Eric flipped them over so he was laying on his back with her tucked into his left side, leaving his right hand free.

"So are you saying that if you knew, without a doubt that there were people out there completely comfortable with the idea it would help? That it would make you see it's not something to feel guilty about or be ashamed of?"

"Yeah, probably," she said softly. "Even with you sitting here talking to me, telling me it just doesn't quite sink in. It feels like everyone else would judge me, like it's wrong. I don't know why I can't stop it."

"Because you grew up being told that enjoying anything was a horrible thing," he told her bluntly. "And sex and masturbating is done specifically for your own enjoyment. Selflessness is good in moderation Tris, but your old faction takes it too far."

"So what am I supposed to do about it?" She asked him, sounding both hopeless and slightly annoyed.

He smiled and tugged her closer to his side. "You are going to lay here with me," he told her. "I am going to pull my dick out and jack off, right here in front of you, without the slightest bit of shame. And you are going to see, someday, that it is perfectly natural."

Her eyes widened at his crass, blunt words, but he knew it was the best and most effective way to get through to her.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable, because that's the exact opposite of helpful. You said yourself, just now, that if you knew without a doubt that if you weren't the only one it would help. So that's what I want to do. Okay?"

Eric waited patiently, knowing somehow that she would say yes if he just let her have a minute. Sure enough, she nodded her head after a moment.

With her nod of assent, Eric quickly reached down and opened his pants, pulling his throbbing length free with a groan of immense satisfaction. He saw her eyes follow the movement as it popped free of its confinement, and another idea struck him.

"Why don't we move forward by stepping back a little bit, hmm?" He asked brightly.

"What do you mean?" She asked, returning her eyes to his face as she flushed crimson.

"You've been taught your entire life to put others before yourself, to do things for other people instead." She nodded, and he continued, grasping her free hand as he did so. "So we're going to play off that. I know you're still uncomfortable with some of this, so I want you to touch me. Can you do that?"

She gave him a hesitant look, and it was clear she was still horribly nervous. "I'm not sure," she hedged.

"This is where I play off your Abnegation instincts," he admitted. "Can you do it knowing how good it will feel for me?"

She smiled when she saw where he was going with his logic. It was clear that she wanted to overcome her fears, but the idea of actually doing it was incredibly scary for her. It was a lifetime of teaching that she had to break free of.

"Yeah, probably."

"Good," he told her. "Now spit in your hand." She gave him a surprised look, but did as he asked. "More." She spat again and he shrugged. Close enough.

He guided her hand to him, wrapping it gently around the middle and moving it slowly up and down a couple of times. He sighed at the feeling of his neglected cock finally getting some attention, and let his head fall back with a smile.

He knew she wasn't going to be able to actually get him anywhere, but the feeling of her tentatively exploring him was still incredible.

"Give me your hand," he said after a moment, and she let go of him and held her hand out uncertainly. He took her hand quickly in his and licked the pad of her thumb generously, before placing it right at the tip,

He shuddered as her thumb traced and circled his head, letting himself moan when he normally would have held back. This was about teaching her not to be ashamed, after all. It wouldn't do much good if he wasn't comfortable being vocal.

He watched her for several more minutes until the suspense was becoming unbearable.

"Better?"

She nodded. "Actually yes." She sounded surprised, but he smiled at her and replaced her hand with his own after spitting generously into his palm.

"Good. Now, I'm going crazy," he said with a chuckle, sitting up far enough to yank off his shirt with one hand.

He wasted no time on teasing, he was too far gone for that. Instead, he simply grabbed himself and started pumping, eager for his long awaited release.

Eric closed his eyes and let his head fall back to the mat they were laying on as he worked himself, beginning to groan as he got closer to the edge. Because his eyes were closed, he didn't notice Tris leaning down to kiss him until her lips tentatively met his, and he latched onto her quickly.

His arm tightened around her waist, and he tugged her to the side farther just before he came, moaning loudly into her mouth as he did.

He panted slightly as he recovered, and she broke away from him tentatively and stared at the white coating his chest and stomach. With a quizzical expression on her face Tris began to reach toward his stomach, but he caught her wrist and stopped her, knowing what she was probably thinking of doing.

"Trust me," he told her with a grin, "you don't want to do that."

"How do you know?" She asked quickly, giving him an odd look.

Eric felt his cheeks turn red in response. "Lets just say I had the same reaction you just did the first time." Tris laughed aloud and he couldn't help but grin along with her. "Yeah, my parents always encouraged curiosity and told me to satisfy it whenever I could, so I did. Not my brightest moment."

She sat up and cocked her head to the side in surprise. "Wait, you were born Erudite?"

"Mhm," he responded absently, sitting up and snagging a towel from a corner nearby to clean himself off with. When he was done he tossed it into the basket opposite where he was sitting. Amongst all the others covered in blood and sweat and dirt, a few with other fluids on them went unnoticed. He knew he wasn't the only one.

Eric stood and bent down, grabbing Tris by the waist and lifting her clear off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist automatically and he grinned, wrapping his own arms tightly around her back to hold her in place.

Making sure she was secure, he lifted his right hand to push her hair back behind her shoulder, and bent his head down to the curve of her neck, kissing his way down to her shoulder and back up her neck slowly and sensually. Her eyes closed as she let out a sigh of contentment, tilting her head automatically to give him better access.

"Tris," he said softly, making sure he had her attention before going on. "I don't know if you were serious earlier or just messing with me, but if you ever want anything," he paused to give her a significant look, "just knock on my door."

"What if..." She began, but looked down and didn't finish. Eric stroked her hair softly, silently encouraging her to continue. "What if I just want..." She looked down and spoke softly. "If I just want you to touch me again?"

Her words were nearly inaudible, but he caught them.

"Then I will be more than happy to oblige you, trust me," he assured with a wink. "If you showed up every damn night just for this, I would be more than happy."

She turned pink again, but smiled nonetheless. Eric grinned and leaned in to nuzzle her neck. "Does that mean you liked it?"

She hummed in response and shivered when his teeth grazed across her ear.

"Remember," he whispered, "any time. All you have to do is show up at my door and I'll take good care of you."

"I'm sure you will," she said with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**This story was supposed to just be pure smut, but this scene popped into my head and I couldn't resist throwing it in. Hope you like! Do me a favor and leave a review at the end!**

Tris was sitting with Christina at breakfast the next morning when Eric walked in and swung himself down beside her with his food.

"Eric," she greeted with a note of surprise. Christina, however, was staring at him in absolute shock.

"What are-" she began, but cut herself off quickly. Looking like it was physically painful, she tried again. "What brings you over here?"

Eric couldn't help but chuckle, it was obvious that she was making a serious effort to break her Candor habits. It was also obvious she was struggling with it.

"Don't worry, you'll retrain yourself faster than you think," he assured with a grin. "And I'm over here because I wanted to talk to Tris, I ran into her in the training room late last night."

Eric's words had been both innocent and spoken in a casual tone, so it baffled him when Christina turned to give him a horrified look. Beside him, Tris put her face in her hands.

Eric glanced between the two girls in utter bewilderment. What the hell was he missing?

"Well I missed a memo," he said carefully.

Tris took a deep breath and turned to look at him. There was color blazing in her cheeks. "Um, yesterday Christina suggested I go to the training room after everyone went to bed and work on some stuff," she told him carefully.

His stomach curled slightly as he realized where this was probably going, and he felt blood begin to burn his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Christina snicker slightly when she noticed his blush.

"Yeah, I know there are some things that the Abnegation don't teach so I told her a few things she should... teach herself." Christina was grinning widely now that the shock had worn off. "When she came back she said it went well, but she never mentioned, ah, seeing you there."

Eric paused for a few seconds as he thought of how to respond. Clearly, he was busted. Shit.

Clearing his throat, he affected an offhand tone. "Yeah, she was having some trouble when I walked in but I gave her a hand." Literally.

Christina dissolved into laughter while Tris put her face back in her hands, groaning. Eric reached over and rubbed her back, laughing good naturedly.

"Calm down Tris, it's not that big of a deal," he assured. She gave him a look like he'd just started dancing on the table. "Really, it's not."

Out of the corner of his eye, Eric noticed Peter, Drew and Molly staring at him in shock from a table in front and to his right. Or more accurately, staring at the hand that was still rubbing her back. Acting as though he hadn't noticed them, Eric reached over, plucked a slice of orange off her plate and ate it.

"Hey!" She cried indignantly. "That was mine."

Eric laughed loudly in response, and after a moment Tris started to laugh as well, elbowing him in the ribs. When he chanced another look at the others, he noticed Peter's mouth hanging open and laughed again. Cheap entertainment.

"What did you come over here for again?" Christina reminded as she watched them.

"Oh yeah. Tris, I was wondering if you wanted to meet me in the training room sometime today. You're gonna be put up against one of the higher ranked initiates soon and right now your fighting still isn't up for it."

She sobered quickly, looking worried, and lowered her eyes to the table. "Yeah, sure. That'd probably be a good idea."

"Don't worry," he told her with a grin, "A few tips from me and you'll kick ass."

Tris giggled at him. "Someone's feeling cocky today."

"I'm always feeling cocky," he replied nonchalantly. "Anyway, I have to go." Eric leaned in and spoke quietly, so no one at the surrounding tables could hear, though he knew Christina would. "Don't get offended tomorrow. I can't show favoritism or I'll get in trouble. And enjoy your day off."

With that, Eric stood and walked away, leaving Tris confused behind him.

"Okay what does that mean?" She asked Christina.

"I think it means don't be offended when he's an asshole."

Comprehension dawned on Tris's face. "Oh, favoritism. Got it."

"So..." Christina lead on, grinning from ear to ear. "Care to tell me anything?"

Tris blushed. "Lets go somewhere else." Christina nodded, and together they wandered away, ending up at the Chasm, where the roaring water would drown out their conversation.

"How did it start? What happened?"

"Well I was back in that little alcove you mentioned, um... Trying, you know..." Tris blushed, and Christina gave her an impatient look. "Well nothing was really happening, and I had my eyes closed so I didn't see him walk up but suddenly I felt him touch me."

Christina covered her mouth and laughed. "Wait, he didn't even say anything first? Just came up and touched you?"

"Yeah pretty much. I wanted to die, but he told me to move my hand and he would show me."

"Did he know what he was doing?" Christina replied with a smirk.

"It certainly seemed like he did. He kissed me too. It was... wow."

"Is that all," Christina demanded. Tris only bit her lip for a second, but it was long enough.

"What else?"

Tris couldn't help the nervous giggle that escaped her. "Well, he could tell I still wasn't really... comfortable with it, I guess," she began. "I mean, it's an automatic reaction to be ashamed of anything self serving so..."

Christina winced. "Wow, that seriously sucks."

Tris had to agree. "Yeah it kinda does, but anyway. He asked me if it would help me if I knew definitively that other people, you know, do, and I told him yes."

Christina was bright enough to have an idea where Tris was going, and was grinning mischievously. "What did he do?"

"He... did it," Tris told her.

"He jacked off right in front of you?" Christina hissed in shock. Tris nodded, and she broke down in a fit of giggles.

"And he had me... touch him," Tris added after a moment. Christina's eyes grew round. She hadn't been expecting that.

"He _what?_"

Tris nodded, now outright laughing at the look on Christina's face.

"He told me to come by his apartment if I ever _needed anything._ But he never told me where his apartment actually is."

"Down on the south wing," Christina said immediately. "Leadership have their own section, Will told me. Their names are next to the doors in case someone needs to find them quickly." Christina grinned wickedly. "You should take him up on it."

"It's tempting," Tris admitted, sounding slightly ashamed.

Christina giggled. "I bet. He's an asshole but I still wouldn't mind getting a better look," she said with a wink.

"He likes to flirt," Tris observed.

"How so?"

"Well last night, before he..."

"Dude, just say it," Christina told her, rolling her eyes. "He jacked off, it's not a crime."

"Well yeah, anyway. I asked him why he... did whatever it was he did for me, because I know he's not that selfless and he said something about how he got plenty out of it too."

"I'll just bet he did," Christina smirked.

"Well I asked him what he meant and he, like, pressed it against my leg."

Christina laughed at Tris's blush, but otherwise said nothing. "And I could tell it was, well, big, and I made some comment about it not being able to fit and he said something about it would, and I would love it. Well I told him I didn't believe him and he asked if he needed to prove it."

"Damn, you go girl," Christina giggled with a wink. "You gonna take him up on it?"

"Maybe eventually," Tris said uncertainly, phrasing it like a question. "I mean, what he did last night felt amazing but the idea of having sex just for the sake of having sex is still sort of odd to me."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah. In Abnegation you have sex to have kids, but that's it."

"That's really sad. Did they even tell you it felt good?"

"Yeah. They didn't go into any details, like, um, orgasms," the word came out of her mouth hesitantly, uncomfortably, "but that's why it wasn't something you did just because. It feels good, so that would make it self serving."

"What about oral?"

Tris gave her a blank look. "Oral?"

"Oral sex?" Christina said.

"What's that?"

Christina laughed. "You're kidding right?"

Tris shook her head. "Nope."

She shook her head a little in disbelief. "Wow. Okay, well it's pretty self explanatory. Basically it's just where you use your mouth on the other person."

"Wait, like, use your mouth down _there?_" Tris asked in a mildly scandalized tone.

"Yeah. It's supposed to be amazing."

"So what would a guy do to a girl? Put his tongue in her?"

"Some do, some don't," she said in an offhand tone. "When guys give girls oral they mainly focus on your clit."

"And when a girl does it to a guy..." Tris was curious despite herself, wondering in the back of her mind what it might be like to do something like that to Eric. Or at least wondering how he would react, which could be fun to see.

"She puts it in her mouth," Christina said evenly. "Also called sucking dick, a blowjob. It sounds pretty straight forward from what I've heard."

Tris shook her head in amusement. "Weird."

"Like I said, I've heard it's great." Christina gave her a sideways look and grinned. "You're thinking about doing it aren't you?"

Tris blushed and shrugged.

"You so are!" Christina giggled. "Tell me how that goes," she said with a wink.


	4. Chapter 4

**Well this has gone beyond the simple PWP I had planned, but I'm not sure what that means as far as where it may be going. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Please drop me a line at the end!**

Tris fled through the dark hallways, the smell of vomit and the sounds of Edward's screams still ringing in her ears. She had cleaned up the mess, and then she had fled the room.

She didn't care if the idea was still foreign to her. She didn't care that she was still confused by the abrupt change in Eric's behavior toward her. She didn't care she was probably being stupid and reckless. She didn't care that she wasn't sure if she was ready for it yet.

She needed to forget, and she knew that Eric could make it happen.

It didn't take her long to find the section Christina had mentioned, or to find the door with Eric's name next to it. Tris looked down the hall on either side of her nervously, not wanting to wake anyone else and have to explain why she was there at this time of night. Gently she knocked on the door, hoping no one else in the vicinity was awake.

It was only thirty seconds later that Eric opened the door, bleary-eyed, with mussed hair and wearing only boxers. The sight struck her, and made heat flare in her veins. She didn't know if it was his physique, the knowledge of what she was about to do or a combination of both that caused it, but seeing Eric dressed in next to nothing this way made her breath come faster. He gave her a look of surprise, but stepped aside and gestured for her to pass him.

"Tris?" He asked as he closed the door behind her. He stepped closer and took her chin in his hand, tilting her face up to look at him. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to think about it right now. I just want to forget. I want you. Please?"

Eric placed his hands gently on her waist, drew her close until they were chest to chest. "And you're sure you want this?" He whispered.

Not trusting her voice to be steady, Tris nodded.

Without further hesitation, Eric leaned down and caught her lips gently with his own, kissing her tenderly. Her arms wound around his neck and he threaded one hand through her hair while the other arm held her securely against him. He traced his tongue along her lower lip, and Tris parted her lips with a sigh. At her acceptance he kissed her deeply, meeting her tongue with his own and holding her tighter when she responded to him with equal fervor.

Eric could already feel himself growing hard, and hooked the arm around her waist under her ass, making Tris wind her legs around his waist as he picked her up to carry her back to his room. He laid them down on his bed, hovering over her and moving to kiss along her jaw, working his way slowly down her throat as she panted beneath him. Eric slid his hand under her shirt and along her waist, pushing the hem up slowly and following the path of exposed skin with his lips, laying open mouthed kisses along her waist and up to her sternum until he pulled the shirt over her head completely and tossed it to the floor.

He sat back to admire her briefly, noticing that while her breasts were small, her nipples were pert and rose pink.

"God you're perfect," he said huskily, leaning down to catch one of those nipples between his lips.

Tris arched her back with a strangled gasp as his tongue brushed across her nipple, licking and suckling there before moving to the other side and doing the same. Eric kissed and licked his way back down her waist to the hem of her pants, guiding them down her hips and off her legs slowly, where they too dropped to the floor. He kissed the protrusion of her hip bones, nipping them gently with his teeth as he went.

He pulled her thighs over his shoulders and placed a soft kiss at the crest of her pubic bone, making her shudder. Softly, he touched his tongue to her clit, making her muscles tense as she cried out in surprise. He used his tongue to slowly stroke her, letting her adjust to the sensation of his mouth on her.

Slowly he formed a rhythm of stroking, licking and suckling at her that made her clench her hands around his painfully, shifting her hips without conscious thought to put him in the places she wanted him to be. After several minutes he felt her thighs clench and her back arched as her hands found his hair, holding him firmly in place. Knowing she was almost at the edge, he rolled her clit firmly and repeatedly with his tongue, not breaking the pattern as her body seized up.

Eric placed his hands low on her stomach just as she broke apart, crying out loudly and attempting to buck her hips as she came. As soon as her thighs loosened enough to let him up he pulled away, and he took the opportunity to grab a shirt from the floor and wipe his face off, knowing the sight of her own fluids on his face would probably seem gross to her.

He moved to hover her again, kissing her softly and sliding his boxers off before sliding two fingers inside her, thrusting slowly and widening them to stretch her. It wouldn't do much good, but any pain he could spare her would be worth it.

"Are you ready?" He asked, removing his fingers from her and stroking her hair gently.

"Yes." Her voice was shaky, but he could see the determination in her eyes.

Eric reached over to his night stand, fumbling slightly as he snatched a condom and a bottle of oil from the drawer. When he ripped it open she looked at it quizzically, obviously not knowing what it was.

"It's called a condom," he told her as he rolled it on. "It's to keep you from getting pregnant." He kept talking as he tossed the packet aside and picked up the oil, squirting a generous amount into his hand and coating himself. "The oil just works as lubricant, makes it easier for you."

He laid atop her once more, placing his elbows on either side of her head, resting his forehead against hers and positioning his head against her.

"This is going to hurt at first Tris, there isn't anything I can do to change that. Okay?"

Tris bit her lip and nodded. "I figured it would."

"I can take it slow and try to make it easier, or I can just do it all at once. Which do you want?"

"Just get it over with," she whispered.

Eric nodded, and leaned down to kiss her tenderly, almost in apology.

"Bite down on my shoulder," he instructed as he pulled away. Eric tucked his head into the crook of her neck and placed a hand on her hip to steady her. He felt her mouth on the juncture of his neck and shoulder and braced himself.

He pressed a soft kiss to the skin of her neck, and pushed into her in one strong, seamless thrust. Her teeth bit down instinctively as she cried out and he groaned, both from the pain of the bite and the feeling of being inside her.

Her nails were digging into his back and he could feel the tension in her muscles, clenching instinctively against the pain. Eric pulled back enough to look at her, stroking her cheek reassuringly with his thumb and placing soft kisses where tears slid from her eyes. They tasted salty on his tongue.

"Tell me when you're ready," he whispered softly. "Try to relax, it'll make it easier."

He caught her lips with his own, and kissed her softly while he waited, buried inside her and restraining himself while she adjusted. For his height and weight his size was average, but she was so comically small in comparison to him, ten inches shorter a good hundred pounds lighter, that he knew to her he had to feel huge.

Soon enough he felt her relax, and pulled back to look at her questioningly. She nodded and he withdrew from her almost completely, before pushing very slowly back inside her. Her face pinched, and he paused briefly before repeating the movement, continuing to do so until there was no pain left in her eyes.

"Still hurt?"

"No," she reassured, smiling gently at him.

Staring into her eyes, Eric pulled back and thrust forward again, faster and more firmly than he had been. When she still showed no signs of lingering pain he began to move steadily, thrusting slowly as he studied her face, looking for the first expression of pleasure.

Eric did his best to ignore the sensations racing through his own body, determined to stay his own pleasure until he had shown her just what it could be to make love to someone.

After several minutes, he finally hit an angle that coaxed a response from her. Just a small moan, but it was all the encouragement he needed. He angled his hips and hit the same place again, noting the way her eyelids fluttered and her lips parted with a sigh. He met her with a kiss, slowly beginning to pick up speed as she became more responsive.

Eric kissed her deeply, passionately as he moved inside her, thrusts quick and firm. Her fingers dug into his back, nails scraping along his skin in a way that made it even better. Each thrust elicited a cry from her, and Tris wrapped her legs around his hips in an attempt to push him deeper inside her.

The first time his name fell from her lips, a cross between a gasp and a sob it made something flutter in his chest that he hadn't felt before. Eric stared down into her eyes as he abruptly changed his pattern, using small motions to rub his tip against the spot he had found deep inside her, stroking repeatedly until she came, fisting her hands in his hair and crying his name.

It was all he could do not let go right then, to allow her clenching muscles to draw his own release from him so soon. He stopped moving entirely as she came, laying his head on her shoulder and thinking of anything he could to hold back his own orgasm. When he was sure he wasn't going to explode just yet he began to move again.

Eric changed the angle of their bodies, pushing her knees up closer to her chest and propping himself up on his hands to push himself deeper inside her than he had been before. The action elicited a low, guttural groan from her and her ankles pressed against his hips, still attempting to draw him deeper.

He kept his thrusts slow and deep, and the tone and pitch of her moans changed, growing lower and longer instead of the sharp cries before. He moved her legs again, pulling them down and rolling them over so she was lying atop him instead. Tris froze and gave him a nervous look, clearly unsure now that she was so clearly in control.

"Sit up straighter," he instructed softly, pulling her knees forward until she straddled him and pushing her up into a sitting position. He placed his hands on her hips, guiding her downward until he was fully inside her. Her head dropped back and her eyes closed and he helped her again, guiding her hips upward until just his tip was left inside her. This time she sunk back down onto him on her own, the pair of them groaning in satisfaction as he filled her completely.

Eric was struck dumb by how gorgeous she looked, hair cascading down her back, lips swollen and red from his kisses as she began to ride him, taking control of something that had scared her so recently and trusting him completely. Eric sat up, curling an arm around her waist and scooting to sit on the end of the bed.

Eric's arms were strong as they wound all the way around her, one around her lower back and the other around her ribs as she continued to ride him, staring directly into his eyes as she did. Driven by an urge he didn't understand Eric kissed her again, and the feeling was completely different this time, though they had been kissing feverishly since she stepped through his door.

He could feel his release approaching, and this time he did not try to hold it off but let himself be taken away with the sensations and emotions flooding his body. He could feel it pooling in his lower belly, and his arms tightened around her even more as they both drew closer.

Her moans and half formed words grew steadily louder, and it was with a shout of his name that she came again, her eyes closing as her mouth dropped open, making him swear she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She clenched hard around him and it drew from him his own climax, making his own head fall back as he shouted unintelligibly. His hips rocked instinctively and he felt her spasm slightly again, drawing a last burst of climax from her as well.

When her body had drawn every last bit of pleasure it could from him Eric moved back and fell to the bed with a deeply satisfied groan, tugging the condom off and cradling Tris against his chest, stroking her hair softly. He felt her shiver slightly, and realized belatedly that the pair of them were coated in a layer of sweat. Eric arched his back enough to grab the covers from beneath him and dropped back down, laying the thick comforter over top of them both. Eric trailed his fingers over her back and along her spine beneath it, noticing how soft and smooth her skin was and thinking idly that he wouldn't mind spending a lot more time this way, just holding her.

A soft snore caught him by surprise, and a moment of shock thrilled through him when he realized she had fallen asleep this way, draped across his chest with his arms wrapped around her. No girl had ever fallen asleep in his arms before, and the sweetness of the action and of the moment disarmed him.

Eric had never taken notice of his solitude, had never truly felt lonely, but suddenly the idea of returning to this bed without her, of sleeping here alone without her in his arms was repulsive. And he had absolutely no idea what to make of that. He took a deep breath, the sweet smell of her hair and their lovemaking tickling his nose. Exhausted by being woken in the middle of the night, their sex and most of all by emotions he couldn't begin to make sense of, Eric slept.


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, a few paragraphs turned into a whole chapter here, but I'm actually very glad it did. All in all, I'm quite happy with it and I hope you are too. As always, please drop me a quick line at the end.**

Eric awoke the next morning feeling like his muscles had turned to jelly, and with a small warm body curled up in his arms. Somehow they had shifted during the night, and he had ended up on his side with both arms wrapped around Tris, who had her head tucked under his chin, still sleeping peacefully.

He took a deep breath and released it, stretching with a satisfied groan before returning his attention to the girl in his arms. He would love to sit there and tell himself it had just been sex, but looking at her now and feeling his heart respond with an odd thump he knew it wasn't. He closed his eyes and saw it again, the way she had looked directly into his eyes as she rode him. He remembered how it had felt to sit there, chest to chest with his arms wrapped around her as they climaxed.

Eric had plenty of experience with girls, had had a lot of sex with women both younger and older than himself since he had completed initiation two years ago. But until last night he had never made love to a woman.

He looked down at her face as she slept, noticing how beautiful she looked with her still-swollen lips and her hair strewn out over the pillow. The warm breath of her exhales tickled his chest, and he trailed his fingers over her shoulders, across her back and down her waist, wanting to memorize the feel of her skin in case she didn't come to him again. He knew it was a possibility, that maybe she had just wanted a one night stand and that she would never look at him twice again. The thought twisted in his heart like a knife, but he had to accept it as a possible outcome.

Eric chewed his lip as he held her, wishing he knew what the hell had gotten into him. Not three days ago she had been just another initiate, and a stiff to boot. But something had happened the night before, when her eyes locked on his as she gave all of herself to him.

And maybe that was it. No one trusted him here in Dauntless, not on a personal level anyway. Sure they trusted him to do his job, well, except Four, but that was different. She had not only trusted him but given herself entirely to him, including the part of her she was just discovering and still completely unsure of. She could have picked anyone else. Hell, she could have fled the training room that night and endeavored to never look at him again, but she had chosen to trust him instead. It was something no one else had ever awarded him before.

He couldn't place it, but there was something different about Tris. Something about her drew her to him and he couldn't fight it. Even before he had found her that night in the training room he couldn't help but watch her. She had gotten his attention from the moment she had stepped forward on Choosing Day, when she jumped from the building and fell without a sound. He remembered her fight with Peter, when she had shoved herself to her feet time and time again even though she was swaying and couldn't see straight.

It was as he thought that Tris stirred, stretching and nuzzling deeper into his chest. He could tell the moment when she truly woke up and realized she wasn't alone when she was used to being so, because her whole body froze before she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Good morning," he greeted cautiously, wondering how she would feel about the previous night in the light of day.

He felt her relax when he spoke, and realized she was just as nervous as he was. Unable to help himself, Eric leaned in and kissed her softly, just a momentary brush of his lips against her own. She responded in kind, making his heart stutter.

"Morning," she said with a smile, stretching again and then wincing. He heard her groan a bit, and realized belatedly she had to be sore.

"How bad?"

She considered his question before answering. "Bearable. And worth it," she added, turning a light shade of pink.

Eric grinned. "Well I'm glad it was." He stroked her face with his thumb, silently admiring her and memorizing the way this moment felt. Though he would have been happy to stay right where he was the entire day, his stomach seemed to have other plans. He sighed. "Shall we?"

She hummed in response and sat up gingerly, wincing again as she shifted her hips. Though he felt bad she was hurting, his ego appreciated the testament to his size. He stood and walked around the bed to where the condom had ended up, throwing it away in the bathroom and taking a moment to empty his bladder at the same time. When he came back he grabbed her pajamas off the floor and tossed them lightly to her, noticing the way her eyes trailed over his naked body.

Tris stared at the clothes in her hands uncertainly. "I feel gross," she admitted. Catching the guilty look on his face, she quickly amended her statement.

"Not like that!" She reassured quickly. "Like physically gross. I'm all sweaty and sticky and it's kind of disgusting."

Eric felt the brief weight lift from his chest. "Oh okay. Well, do you want to take a shower?" He took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet, holding her against him. "There's plenty of room for both of us."

She bit her lip uncertainly, and he could tell she was nervous. Maybe it was his behavior throwing her off. He was never this nice, after all. Add that to the fact she had come to his door on a whim the night before, and she was bound to be cautious.

"Trust me?" He pleaded, cupping her cheek with his hand. She met his eyes before nodding, and he pulled her against him, cradling her head against his chest. He felt her arms curl around his waist, kissing the top of her head when he felt her relax.

"There you go," he said, smiling. "Go use the bathroom and get the water started, I'll be there as soon as I grab a glass of water." She nodded and walked to the bathroom, and he could see the discomfort in the way she moved. He didn't actually need a drink, but he wanted to give her a couple minutes to herself.

He returned when he heard the water start, coming back with a glass of water and painkiller. She took them from him with a wry smile, swallowing them gratefully. Tris stepped under the spray and he followed her, hissing slightly as the water burned his skin.

"Want me to turn it down?" She asked uncertainly.

_Yes._ "Nah, just give me a second. It's warmer than I'm used to."

She nodded and stepped underneath it, tilting her head back and sighing as the water quickly turned her skin red. After a minute the water didn't seem as scalding as it had before, and he stepped farther under it with her. It was still hotter than he would have liked on his more sensitive bits, but he could manage.

Gently he took her by the shoulders and turned her so her back was to him, and grabbed the shampoo bottle from a shelf beyond her reach. She moaned softly when he began working his fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp at the same time. He worked it through her hair longer than he needed to, enjoying the feeling of taking care of her.

He almost put the bottle back where it had been after he doled out some for himself, but changed his mind and put it down within her reach with a smirk. He saw the soft smile on her lips and knew she'd gotten the message.

Her eyes closed as he washed her, kneading her muscles with strong fingers as his hands slid over her body, making him hard. As much as he would have loved to pick her up and pin her against the wall of the shower, he knew she was just too sore for sex just yet. Instead he dropped to his knees, pushing her to lean against the wall and pulling one of her thighs to rest on his shoulder. Though his mouth hadn't met her yet, her head was resting against the wall and her eyes were closed. He grinned in satisfaction, he couldn't help it.

Knowing she was sore and not wanting to inadvertently hurt her he focused purely on her clit, relishing the feel of her fingers tugging at his hair as he brought her over the edge, quickly this time and without preamble. She cried out loudly as she came, melting in his arms when he stood once more, and he quickly rinsed his face while her eyes were still closed. She jerked in surprise when she felt his fingers on her still sensitive flesh, but he simply rinsed away the fresh stickiness coating her.

Eric wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, not with the hot, passionate kisses of sex but the tender, sweet ones of requited crushes and first love. His erection slowly faded as they kissed, sexual desire overpowered by the warm, happy bubble in his chest that made him feel his age for once. It wasn't often he got to feel and act eighteen, and he intended to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Her smile when he pulled back was hesitant, he could see in her eyes that she had registered the change in his feelings for her and that it confused her. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his hips, securing it there before sitting down on the toilet and holding his arms out to her. Tris wrapped another towel around her body and stood in front of him with a slightly bewildered expression on her face.

"Come here," he asked softly, patting his legs. She sat down sideways, still looking at him as though wondering what the catch was. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Eric heaved a sigh, wishing he didn't have to say what he did.

"I know I'm confusing you Tris and I'm sorry," he began, moving to look into her eyes as he spoke. She nodded in agreement with his statement and he chuckled lightly.

"I'm not going to pretend I know what happened or why, but something changed for me last night." He swallowed heavily, all his instincts screaming at him to shut his mouth, not open himself up this way. He had been raised in a home where logic was abundant and emotions were never expressed or experienced, and it was choking him now.

He took another breath, and it shook when he exhaled. "Emotions aren't my thing Tris," he confessed softly. "I don't know where this came from or even what I'm feeling right now. Hell, even trying to say this is almost impossible. All I know is that I can't get enough of this. Not even sex, just holding you and kissing you."

Eric paused, closing his eyes and trying to steady himself. If he had grown up in a house where emotions were acceptable maybe he wouldn't be drowning in his own, but he hadn't been and now he was. When he spoke again, his voice shook the slightest bit.

"And I understand if you don't want anything to do with me. I've been cruel to you and you have no reason to forgive me for that now. So if you can't give me that chance I won't push it, I promise. But if you can then I want you to know I want to try this."

He watched her carefully, unable to read the emotions in her eyes, unable to tell if she was a moment from getting up and fleeing the room. He was dying to know what was going on behind those eyes, and trying to be patient was killing him. He had practically bared his soul to her, against every instinct that had been instilled in him. Now he simply had to wait and find out if it was the wrong choice.

...

Tris regarded Eric carefully, she could see the fear and the turmoil in his wide gray eyes and felt an overpowering urge to comfort him, to curl up against his chest and let him hold her the way he needed to. This was a side of him that no one else in the world knew existed, one that even he probably hadn't guessed at until now. It seemed that beneath the cold, cruel and malicious leader everyone knew and feared there was a young man desperately craving love and attention, something he had never been given before.

He was right when he said he had been cruel to her, but seeing this side of him she realized that it was probably all he knew. It seemed like loving people and being cared for were as new to Eric as sex was to her. And while physical affection had been almost nonexistent in her childhood, she had known beyond a doubt that she was loved by her family. Though Eric had obviously been intimate with plenty of women, any sort of emotional attachment was clearly unfamiliar territory for him. Perhaps it meant something.

...

Minutes of silence passed as she contemplated his words, and the longer it spanned the more he convinced himself she was going to say no. Just when he was ready to break, however, she smiled.

"Well first off, I believe it's called a crush." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in, brushing his lips with her own. He sighed in relief, heart thumping unevenly in a way that was almost painful.

"And second," she whispered, "how could I not want to be with someone who looks at me like you are right now?"


	6. Chapter 6

**I know this one is shorter than you're used to, but this is all I could really pull out of it.**

**Second, in the first chapter I set this the night of Al's suicide, but I'm hauling it back a ways to follow my plot line better. I'm going to go back and edit that part now, but for those of you who may be confused, I apologize. I only realized the problem tonight. So please consider the first chapter as having taken place the night after Tris's fight with Myra, two days after she fights Peter.**

** Hope you enjoy! As always, please drop me a line at the end. **

Tris followed Eric into his kitchen after putting on one of his t shirts and a pair of shorts from his initiate days, his newer ones having fallen right off her hips.

"We'll have to find a way to get some of my clothes," Tris told him with a frown, leaning against the counter as he dug around in the fridge.

"I'll hunt down what's her name later, Christina?" He responded absentmindedly, pulling eggs, milk and bacon from the fridge. "Good for you?" He asked, holding them out.

"Okay. And yeah that's fine."

Eric set everything out, glancing at her periodically as he worked. After he'd started the stove he returned to her, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her effortlessly to sit on the counter, where she was finally on level with him. Eric grinned and placed one hand on her waist and the other on the side of her neck, leaning in to kiss her. Her arms wound around his neck as she kissed back, enjoying the tender way he held and touched her.

He pulled back, taking yet another moment to look at her, and marvel at the fact that she was here with him, allowing him to touch her and kiss her. Truly, she was way too good for him. Eric leaned back in to kiss her again, but was interrupted just before his lips met hers.

"Eric!" Came Four's voice, opening the door without bothering to knock. Eric froze where he was, arms around Tris and his lips a half inch away from her own to make sure Four knew what he was interrupting. From his angle, Eric knew that Four wouldn't be able to see who he was with, as his body was blocking everything but Tris's legs on either side of him and her arms around his neck.

"Have you ever heard of _knocking_?" He asked irritably.

"It's important," came Four's crisp reply. Eric heaved a sigh and flipped Four the finger before giving Tris a quick, firm kiss anyway.

"Sorry," he told her quietly, before detaching her arms from around his neck. Eric turned away from her, moving to lean against the counter next to her with his arms crossed, glaring.

Four's eyes grew wide when he saw Tris perched on the counter, wet haired, with flushed cheeks and swollen lips. His mouth opened, but didn't say anything.

"Well, are you going to stand there and stare all day or are you going to close the fucking door and talk? Hurry up, I'm hungry."

"I can see that," he spit, closing the door with a sharp snap. "Edward was stabbed in the eye with a butter knife in the middle of the night last night. He and Myra both dropped out this morning."

Eric cringed, and he felt Tris shudder beside him. He turned to look at her, and it suddenly dawned on him what must have driven her to him the night before.

"Jesus, no wonder you showed up," he muttered. "Do we know who did it?" He asked Four.

Four gave him a look that very clearly implied a lack of faith in his intelligence. "We both know who it was."

"That's true," Eric muttered, rubbing a hand across his jaw. "Alright, I'll see if I can get Max to see reason."

"Pull the footage," Four told him.

Eric's lip curled. "That's not the problem."

"I know," he sighed.

There was a moment of silence, and a knock sounded at the door. Eric made a 'you see?' gesture toward the door before going to answer it. When he opened it, he saw Christina standing on the other side with a pile of black clothes in her arms. He chuckled and moved aside for her, and she stepped in hesitantly.

"Come on in," he invited. "You should show Four that neat trick you just did."

Christina gave him a confused look. "What trick?"

"That cool little thing where you bang on the door instead of just waltzing in," he muttered, glaring at Four.

Christina looked over at Four, who was glowering at Eric and giggled.

"Speaking of, I believe Four was just leaving, unless there was something else?"

"What, you're not going to offer me breakfast?" He shot back.

"Would you trust me if I did?"

Four chuckled reluctantly. "No, probably not. Alright I'm leaving." He glanced at Christina and Tris, nodded once, and disappeared.

"He'll find you later and tell you to be careful," he told Tris, "I'm sure of it."

"Probably," she sighed. "What are you doing here Christina?"

Christina held up the clothes in her hands. "Are you planning on walking out of here in that?" She giggled. "I saw you run out last night without taking anything. When you didn't come back I figured this is where you'd gone."

"Saves me from having to find you later," Eric told her, finally getting the food on the stove. "You want some?" He offered.

Christina and Tris stared at him like he'd just given birth to a litter of flying pigs.

"Am I really that much of an asshole?" He asked, giving them a bewildered look.

Tris and Christina exchanged a glance. "Yeah," Christina replied. "Then again I might be biased," she continued, shooting him a dark look.

Eric sighed, knowing he deserved it. "That little trick was Max's idea, not mine. And I still got my ass chewed for standing close enough to catch you if you _did_ fall, which I was watching for."

"How do you watch for something like that?" Christina asked skeptically.

"Your fingers. I was standing six inches from you. Close enough to see if you were about to lose your grip and grab your wrist if you did. I may be one of the leaders, but this shit wasn't my idea," he told her darkly. "I agree with not conceding during fights, but hanging initiates over the Chasm is overkill."

"Okay, so explain why we're not allowed to concede. If I'm up against someone like you or Four, I don't have a chance."

"Who's the one person you care about in this world, more than anyone else?" He asked her as he turned off the stove, dumping the eggs onto a plate.

Her answer was immediate. "My little sister. Her name is Alexa, she's twelve. Why?"

"Good. Tris, what about you?"

"My mom," she responded. Her response was instantaneous as well.

"Okay, picture this. Someone is trying to get to your mom, or your sister," he said, looking at each of them in turn, "for whatever reason, to hurt them or even kill them. The only thing standing in between them and the person trying to get to them is you. Got that in your head?"

They both nodded, watching him with wide eyes as he painted the scene for them both.

"Now imagine that opponent is someone like Four or I, and you know you're hopelessly outmatched. Would you concede? Give up because you don't think you had a chance?"

"Of course not!" Came Christina's vehement reply. "I'd fight until I couldn't..." Her sentence trailed off as she realized what he was saying. When she finished, her voice was quiet and thoughtful. "I'd fight until I couldn't go on anymore," she allowed.

"Exactly. The other factions see us as reckless and irresponsible because all they see is the antics, the fun and the games. But what every Dauntless initiate needs to understand is that we are also soldiers, we are protectors.

"It's up to us to defend every life in this city, to lay down our own to do it if necessary. _That _is why we train you so ruthlessly. It's our job to make sure you're ready for that."

"And it's your job to cut people who can't do it," Tris said quietly, looking at Christina. The other girl nodded, and he could see when they looked back to him that it finally made sense.

Eric stared off for a few seconds, thinking to himself. "I'll have to remind everyone of that, it would probably help. Anyway," he said, returning his attention to the other two, "you hungry?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, after giving life to some new ideas, I'm back to this one with a new chapter. I haven't been able to keep my mind pinned down to one idea for too long lately, so if I randomly vanish from this for an unknown amount of time don't fret, I promise I'll come back to it sooner or later.**

**As always, I love reviews!**

"There are a few things that we need to address here."

Eric's voice rang through the training room, stern and sharp as he glared at all the initiates, transfers and Dauntless born alike. It was originally supposed to be a day off, but the incident with Peter and Edward had driven Eric to call them all together.

The group stared at him silently, and he could see the confusion in some of the faces. Particularly the transfers, most of whom thought he didn't give a damn. Four and Lauren were somewhere behind him, observing but letting him take control of the situation.

"As I'm sure you all know, one of our transfer initiates was attacked in the middle of the night last night. Now our transfer initiates all know what happened, but I believe our Dauntless born initiates are still somewhat in the dark, am I correct?"

There were mutters and glances amongst the Dauntless born initiates, assenting that they didn't know much of what had transpired the night before.

"In the middle of the night last night, one of our transfer initiates, Edward, was stabbed in the eye with a butter knife." Eric paused as the Dauntless borns exchanged glances. "Coincidentally... or not... Edward was ranked first yesterday. Today, he chose to leave us."

The Dauntless born initiates exchanged glances again, muttering about cowards and teaching lessons.

"As with most areas of the compound, the initiate dorms are monitored with cameras." Eric paused again, glancing toward Peter, whose expression had frozen in place. "So, keeping in mind that those of us in charge already know exactly who you are, I would suggest the culprit step forward. Unless of course you would rather wait to be called out, like a _coward._"

Peter looked at the stony faces of the Dauntless initiates before standing up, looking pale and nervous. Every eye in the room locked on him where he stood, and he deliberately avoided the gazes of everyone but Eric.

"In the ring," Eric ordered. Peter still looked nervous, though there was relief evident in his expression. What a fool. "At first I was going to have a word with the other leaders Peter," Eric said, leveling a glare at the boy. "The result would have seen you factionless. But that wouldn't have taught you anything. You want to be Dauntless, correct?"

"Of course I do," Peter said incredulously.

"Good. Then what better way to teach you how things are done here in Dauntless, than by one of your fellow initiates?"

Peter gave him a confused look, and Eric spun back to look at the gathered initiates. If Peter thought he was at the top of the food chain, he was sorely mistaken.

"Uriah!" Eric called. Uriah stood quickly, grinning in anticipation. "Teach Candor how things are done here in Dauntless."

Eric turned to look at Peter, grinning widely. "You want to be number one? This is who you have to beat. Good luck."

Peter had frozen, looking at Uriah with an expression that could only be described as horror. Opposite him, Uriah looked gleeful and predatory.

"You ready, you little Candor coward?" Uriah jeered. "You think that's how you get ahead here, sneak up on your enemy when they're sleeping because you know they're better than you? That's what a coward does. And in case you didn't notice, we don't take too kindly to your kind."

Uriah lunged with blinding speed, fist making contact with Peter's jaw and retracting again before Peter had even noticed him move. Peter staggered backward from the force of the blow, clutching a hand to his jaw in shock. Uriah was ranked first among the Dauntless born for a reason, and Peter didn't stand a chance against him.

Uriah swung again, feinting a punch with his left hand and sending a vicious kick to the side of Peter's knee with his right foot. Peter cried out as his leg gave way beneath him and clutched it reflexively. The moment his attention was diverted Uriah kicked again, this time directly to his gut and sent Peter backward with a breathless cough.

Uriah stood back and waited, crossing his arms and watching as Peter struggled to his feet. "Come on Candor, at least make it worth my _time._"

Peter huffed out an annoyed breath and spat blood on the floor, shoving to his feet. He lunged at Uriah, landing a hit to his jaw. It took everything Eric had not to laugh, Uriah hadn't even judged Peter's hit strong enough to warrant being blocked. He had just let it happen, watching Peter like an adult watches a child have a tantrum. Peter tried again, throwing three hits in quick succession to Uriah's midsection. Though Uriah deemed them worthy of blocking this time, he did so with ease. It was clear that Peter wasn't even providing a challenge for him.

It was obvious when Uriah had had enough playing around. He swung viciously, throwing a punch to Peter's chest with so much force he was sent flying several feet, landing hard on his back. Peter laid flat on the mat after having the wind knocked out of him, dazed from the punch and hitting the floor. Uriah stalked over to him, staring down at Peter with a look of disgust on his face. He pulled his foot back and sent it forward into Peter's ribs, making everyone in the room wince at Peter's strangled cry. Peter's eyes fell closed then as he succumbed to unconsciousness.

Four and Lauren picked Peter up and carried him from the room while Uriah made his way back to his seat casually, looking as though he had fought with a toddler and not another initiate.

"Now that that's been dealt with," Eric began casually, "I have something else I want to address, particularly to our transfer initiates, though our Dauntless born would do well to listen also." Eric stopped pacing and faced the group directly, meeting each and every pair of eyes.

"Now be honest, who here disagreed with the mandate that no one was to concede during a fight?"

Eric watched as more than half the hands in the room went up, all of the transfers and a good third of the Dauntless borns. Because of the way he had phrased it, Tris and Christina had raised their hands as well, though he knew that they understood the reasoning now.

"Good. Among those of you who did _not_ raise your hand just now, who thinks they can tell me why you were not to concede?"

The remaining two thirds of the Dauntless born turned and looked at each other, muttering quietly amongst themselves. Finally, one spoke up, a girl whose name he didn't know.

"Because the rules said we couldn't," she responded, making it sound obvious. "Our orders were to fight until we couldn't continue."

Eric nodded. "Not the answer I was looking for, but an excellent point. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Here in Dauntless, we train _soldiers_. Soldiers are to follow orders, whether they like them or not. Who can tell me why we put that rule in place?" He rephrased.

This time it was Uriah who answered. "Because in a real life situation, we're not going to concede. We're here to protect the city with our lives, that's what we commit to in Dauntless."

"Thank you!" Eric shouted, pointing at Uriah. "This faction is tasked with protecting this city and _everyone in it._ Unlike what most people seem to think, we are not simply here for games. You do not join Dauntless because it is _fun, _you join Dauntless because you are ready and willing to fight_, _to protect and possibly to _die! _If it is required of you."

Eric paced back and forth in front of them again as he let his words sink in.

"Every faction in this city preaches faction before blood, but that doesn't mean each of you don't have family you care about so think of it this way. Think of the _one person_ you care about the most. Imagine that their life is at stake, and the only thing standing between that person and death is you. Your opponent, the one trying to kill them, has you _hopelessly _outmatched. You have absolutely no chance of winning."

Eric paused again, meeting each set of eyes in the room once more to make sure he was getting his point across. By the looks of it, he was. Or was beginning to anyway.

"How many of you would concede in that situation? How many of you would step aside and let that person die, without trying? Without giving your all and without doing _everything you could _to save them?"

Ringing silence answered him, and several initiates' eyes were on their feet. Seeking to keep their attention Eric dropped his volume dramatically, changing from shouting to a tone you almost had to strain to hear.

"The people around us forget why we are here. They see us getting tattoos, running everywhere, jumping out of trains and having fun and they _forget _who we are, what we are here to do. They _forget, _that the _only_ thing standing between them and death if something breaches that wall... Is us. But we _cannot _forget that. We cannot forget that at the end of the day, we are military. We are soldiers. We are here to _protect._

"This faction isn't for everyone. Not everyone is cut out for what we are here to do, and there is no shame in that any more than there is in not being cut out for the lifestyle of any other faction. Admitting you don't belong here, that you aren't cut out for our overall purpose doesn't make you a coward. If you know that this isn't you, and you can stand here and say so, that makes you one of the bravest ones here."

Eric's speech was met with wide eyes and he could see that most of them thought he was done, but he had one more point to make.

"But let me be perfectly clear! If you are one of those who forgot the purpose of this faction when you cut your hand open, if you joined us for the fun and games without thinking of the responsibility then I'm talking to you right now."

Eric paused again for dramatic effect, making sure he had the absolute and undivided attention of everyone in the room before he went on.

"If you are not able to fight and protect, to kill or die for anyone in this city if it is asked of you..." Eric held up a hand and pointed to the door of the training room. "Then you need to get out. Because tomorrow, when we start our second stage of training you will be tested to your limits. We accept only the strongest here, because we need soldiers who can be depended on to protect _without fail._ And if you are not able or willing to do that we will find out who you are, and you will be cut."

_And on that note, _Eric thought to himself. Without another word, he turned his back and left the room, the door slamming closed as an echo of finality.

...

Tris sat stock still, along with everyone else in the training room. Eric's speech had been intense and impassioned, but his abrupt departure had taken everyone by surprise. Intentional, no doubt.

She had always thought of him just as a cruel, sadistic and power hungry man who would do anything to keep his position on top. She had never realized before that Eric actually felt a commitment, a loyalty to Dauntless and what they stood for. The thought eased a weight on her chest she hadn't known was there.

"That was intense," Christina muttered. "I didn't expect something like that out of him. I thought he was just here for the power and the fighting."

"So did I," Tris admitted. "It's not very often I'm glad to be wrong."

"I wish he had said all that at the beginning," Al said softly. "I would have put more effort into the fights if I'd thought of it that way."

"So keep it in mind during stages two and three," Will told him. "If you think you can, like he said, put your mind to it and do it."

"You think he meant it?" Al asked uncertainly.

"Oh he meant it," Tris told him. "I could see it in his eyes."

"Hey stiff!" Four's voice rang through the room, and Tris sighed internally. "Hang back, I need to talk to you."

Tris stood and waited for the room to clear, watching Four with a wary expression as the others left. Christina paused, but left after being thrown a particularly vicious glare from Four.

Once they were alone, he wasted no time. "What are you doing with Eric?" The directness of the question caught Tris off guard and made her response crisper than usual.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, what are you doing with Eric?" He repeated slowly, looking angry.

"I wasn't aware it was any of your business. I'm not trying to earn myself a better ranking, if that's what you're implying," she spit.

"He has almost no say in the rankings anyway."

"Then why do you care?" His patronizing tone raised her hackles, and her reply was cold.

"Because Eric is dangerous," Four said quietly, "to certain types of people. People with something to hide."

Tris tried not to let his words affect her, but it took everything she had not to shiver. Was he implying he knew she was divergent?

"And what makes you so different?"

"When you figure it out, come and find me," Four told her, before turning and walking away, leaving Tris alone and confused in the training room. Muttering to herself, she left as well.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the delayed update, this chapter has been floating around in the back of my mind for a while now but I wasn't sure how to tie it all together properly. Add in the rampant plot bunnies that insist upon breeding new ideas every other day and regular updates are rather thin on the ground. **

**As I stated the last chapter, don't be alarmed if I disappear for another three or four weeks. Even if it takes a good amount of time I'm not one to abandon fics, and that goes for Amortentia With A Twist and Disillusioned as well, for those of you who may be following some of those.**

**To anyone who missed the note above chapter six, I want to clear up some issues with the timeline. Though I have edited it now, I originally began this fic the night of Al's suicide. I have since changed it, so please consider chapter one as having occurred the night after Tris's fight with Myra instead. I apologize for the confusion there.**

**Also on the subject of timeline, I did push back Visiting Day to flow with my plot line better. In the books Visiting Day is the same day stage one rankings are revealed, but in this I'm pushing it back to roughly three or four days following the beginning of stage two. Again, just for the sake of plot convenience as I needed this chapter to happen.**

**As I stated in my recent two shot Conquering Fears (check it out if you want some quick Eris smut), after extensive googling I have discovered what I believe to be a canon last name for Eric, and will be using it from this point on both in this fic and any others I write that involve him.**

**Enough rambling from me, I want to get this proofread and posted for you all so I'm gonna shut up here. Friendly reminder that Divergent doesn't belong to me, and if it did I wouldn't have to write fanfiction about it to get my way with these characters or any others. :)**

**Many apologies for the ridiculously long Author's Notes here, and I hope this chapter makes up for the severely delayed update.**

**If you would be so kind as to leave me a review I would appreciate it more than you know, I absolutely adore receiving those emails. :)**

* * *

Tris swallowed nervously as she made her way down to the Pit, wondering if she would be one of the initiates who stood awkwardly in a corner while the others visited with their families. She remembered the betrayed look on her father's face the last time she saw him, and her stomach clenched uncomfortably.

Tris's eyes began scanning the crowd the moment she reached the Pit, overlooking the Dauntless families and only lingering briefly on the few transfer families. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Christina standing with her parents and sister, and smiled knowing that her friend's family came for her. Tris gave the room another close look, heart sinking when she didn't notice anyone in gray. Just as she began to turn, though, Tris noticed a small gray clad figure off to the side, having been hidden from her view by a bulky Dauntless man.

Tris felt tears form in her eyes as she shoved her way through the crowd toward her mother, who didn't notice Tris approaching until she was almost in front of her. Her mother looked at her uncomprehendingly for a moment before a smile creased her face and she held her arms out. Tris hugged her mother tightly, grateful that she had overlooked her betrayal and come for her.

"Dad?" She asked nervously, biting her lip.

Her mother looked at her sadly. "Your father is being selfish," she said matter-of-factly.

Tris felt her eyebrows raise at the word, applied so rarely and never in a good way. But if her mother was using it, then it had to be true.

"Well tell him I love him, okay?" She asked her mother sadly.

"I will," she promised. "How are you Beatrice?" She asked, holding her shoulders fondly. "You look so beautiful, you're filling out."

Her mother pressed her hand to the side of Tris's neck and she felt a lump grow in her throat.

"You first?" Tris offered uncertainly. It felt odd not to.

Her mother shook her head. "Today is my gift to you, so lets talk about you."

Tris nodded. "It's going well, I like it," she said honestly. "We just started the second stage of training."

Her mother looked around them carefully before answering, dropping her voice to almost a whisper. "How are you doing? What's your time?"

Tris gave her mother a surprised look. "I'm doing really well," she told her, stomach curling at the partial lie. It was true, she was doing well. But in her case, doing well wasn't such a good thing.

"Too well?" Her mother mouthed, glancing around quickly once more. Tris bit her lip uncertainly, Tori's warnings ringing in her ears. "You can tell me sweetheart," she whispered.

"Yeah, or so I hear," she said carefully.

Abruptly her mother's volume rose to a normal pitch once more. "Just do your best sweetheart, take your time. That's the only way you'll get better."

Tris nodded, acknowledging her mother's warning and her advice. Her mother looked over her shoulder then and smiled briefly, before taking her arm and guiding her to a vacated table.

"So who's the boy who keeps looking at you?" Her mother asked, a smile in her tone.

Tris gave her a startled look, bewildered. "Who?"

"The one with all the piercings and neck tattoos, he keeps looking over at you." Her mother's knowing smile told her everything she needed to know about the looks he must be giving her.

"That's Eric," She said. "He's one of the leaders. He's..." Tris trailed off, uncertain how to describe Eric. "Complex," she decided. Complex was accurate, complex worked.

"I'll say," her mother chuckled. "He looks like he's ready to kill someone until he sees you."

Tris couldn't help her curiosity. "And then?"

"And then he looks like he remembers the reason he's enduring the torture," she whispered.

Tris flushed, unsure how to respond. She was saved, though, by Four's abrupt appearance, setting a slice of the chocolate cake in front of them.

Tris turned and gave him a confused look, wondering what was up with the random generosity.

"No one should go without tasting it at least once in their lives," he answered with a grin.

"Thank you," her mother responded, accepting the plastic fork he offered.

"Four this is my mom, mom this is Four, one of the instructors."

"Pleased to meet you," he said, voice somewhat stiff as he shook her mother's hand. Tris noted the uncomfortable way he shook her mother's hand, somewhat surprised. If he wasn't used to shaking hands, then he had been a transfer.

"And you," Her mother responded, giving him a sharp look. Clearly her mother had noticed the stiff handshake as well.

Four must have noticed her scrutiny, and she saw when he withdrew and made to take his leave. "Well I have to get going," he said quickly, head nodding forward briefly.

The motion niggled at Tris's subconscious, but she saw recognition dawn in her mother's expression, and she stood quickly.

"I thought you looked familiar," she said warmly. "I almost didn't recognize you."

Four's jaw clenched uncomfortably, but he remained silent and Tris wondered briefly what was going on.

Her mother glanced around carefully once more, ensuring no one in the vicinity would hear her words much the same way she had with herself earlier.

"There are a few of us who are happy you made the choice you did," she said softly. "I'll make sure to pass along the word that you're doing well here."

Four gave her mother a look of shock. "Thank you," he replied uncertainly.

Tris's mind spun as she listened to the conversation, and his actions and her mother's words combined with the subtle nod he gave her suddenly fell together in her mind. Tris looked quickly down at her cake, not wanting Four, _Tobias, _her mind supplied quickly, to see the look of shock on her face.

Tris didn't look up again until her mother returned to her seat and Four had walked some distance away, finally giving voice to the question in her mind.

"Is it true?" She asked her mother quietly. "About Marcus?"

"Evelyn confided in the few of us she considered her closest friends," her mother returned in a whisper as she began to eat her own cake.

Tris nodded to herself, and they sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Tris spoke again.

"Are you going to Erudite next?" She asked.

Her mother shook her head sadly. "I wish I could, but things have gotten worse. Erudite aren't allowing Abnegation into their section at all."

"But Caleb..." Tris trailed off sadly, unable to stop the image in her mind of her brother standing alone among the other families, looking for their parents.

"Once you've passed initiation you'll be able to go yourself," her mother told her. "When you can, let him know that-"

"Wait, they won't let you in for Visiting Day?" Came a shocked voice from behind them.

Tris looked over her shoulder quickly, relaxing slightly when she saw Eric.

"No," her mother answered, her sadness apparent in her tone. "My son Caleb is an initiate there, but my husband and I were told we weren't to visit."

Eric's face twisted into a scowl. "Well that's bullshit."

Glancing at his watch, Eric looked at her mother as though he were considering something. His eyes flicked briefly to Tris before he seemed to make up his mind.

"I've got nothing to do for the rest of the day, I can bring you."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you at all," Her mother said quickly, though Tris could see the desire to accept his offer in her mother's eyes.

"She would love that," Tris said firmly. Eric smirked when her mother shot her a look.

"Will they let you?" Her mother asked uncertainly.

Eric straightened his posture and scowled slightly, becoming the intimidating leader she was familiar with around the rest of the Dauntless. "They won't say no to me."

"Then that would be wonderful," she said gratefully.

...

Tris glanced at her mother in the side mirror of the car as Eric drove, the gun he had given her feeling strange at her hip.

"Just in case," he had told her.

Tris glanced around and noticed the Abnegation sector coming up on the left. "We should get my father, if you don't mind," she told Eric, knowing her mother would never ask.

Eric nodded and turned off without a word. "Where at?"

"Just up here," she responded, pointing ahead. "This one right on the corner."

Eric parked quickly in front of her old house, and Tris's mother spoke up uncertainly.

"Honey I don't think he'll come," She said sadly. "I already tried to get him to come see you and he wouldn't."

"Stay here," Eric instructed them, getting out of the car and striding purposefully around it. Tris saw Susan and Robert's mother staring at him in shock, and Tris could only imagine what he looked like to her.

...

Eric strode to the door with purpose, ignoring the stare from the woman next door as he knocked quickly. Footsteps sounded from inside, and when the door opened he was met with a thin, middle aged man who had Tris's wide blue eyes.

"Can I help you, mister..." The man's phrase turned up at the end, a question.

"Coulter," Eric responded quickly. "Eric Coulter, I'm one of the leaders of Dauntless."

"Andrew Prior," the man returned, not offering his hand. Eric hadn't expected him to. "What can I do for you?" He asked uncertainly. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing to worry about," Eric assured. "I just need you to come with me."

"Of course sir," Andrew replied quickly, shutting the door behind him. Eric led him to the car, opening the back door for the man and shutting it quickly as soon as he was in.

"-Going on, Natalie?" Eric caught the tail end of his question as he got back in the driver's seat and pulled away quickly.

"He was nice enough to offer to escort us into Erudite to see our son," Natalie responded, and Eric smirked at the cold reminder in her tone.

Eric glanced at Tris quickly, wondering why she hadn't acknowledged her father yet, and noticed her hands twisting nervously in her lap.

"Tris, your jacket covers the gun, so if someone starts getting up in your face just put your hand on your hip. The moment you move it aside and they can see the gun they'll back right down."

Tris nodded, shooting him an annoyed look as her father looked sharply at her.

"Beatrice?" Andrew asked, shock coloring his tone as he looked at her. Out of the corner of his eye Eric saw Tris brace herself before turning in her seat to face her father.

"Hi dad," She said, and he could hear the insecurity in her tone.

"You look... Different," he said uncertainly, and Eric held back a scowl at the disappointed undercurrent in his voice.

"Your daughter is doing incredibly well with us," He piped up, glancing at Andrew in the rearview. "Ray is planning on retiring this year, and if Tris keeps up the hard work his spot will have her name on it."

He turned and smiled briefly at Tris, wishing she would relax some. "We could use more like her."

Glancing in the mirror again he saw Andrew shoot his daughter a surprised look. "That's wonderful news," he said quietly, and though his voice was uncertain, his tone was sincere.

A movement in the mirror got his attention, and when he looked he noticed Natalie attempting to catch his eye. He raised one eyebrow minutely in question, which she returned with a glance down to his shoulder followed by a look at Tris. He furrowed his brow slightly, not catching her meaning.

Natalie glanced at Tris again before meeting his eyes and flicking her eyes down to his shoulder, reaching up to rub a spot on her neck as she did. Eric's stomach flipped slightly when her meaning dawned on him and he reached up to touch the dark, mouth shaped bruise on his neck reflexively.

Natalie smiled and gave a nod before flicking her eyes to Tris once more, glancing back to him and raising her eyebrows slightly. Eric caught the rest of her meaning then, her silent inquiry of whether it had been Tris to leave the mark on his neck. Try as he might, Eric couldn't keep the flush from his cheeks, which worsened when Natalie noticed it and smiled wider.

Eric returned his gaze resolutely to the road in front of him, which was blessedly close to their goal. He pulled up and parked moments later, escaping the vehicle as soon as he could and waited for the others to join him. He relaxed slightly when Tris appeared at his side, and focused on her in an attempt to waylay his embarrassment.

"Remember," he told her, bringing his right hand around to rest on his hip and pushing his jacket back slightly. "Just like that, real casual." Tris nodded and imitated the motion, glancing absently to the side as she did.

Eric grinned at her. "Perfect, you're a natural." Tris flushed slightly at his praise, and he glanced back at her parents. "Follow me," he instructed. "It's just through the doors here in the main hall."

Eric turned and began walking, barely glancing at the still familiar surroundings. Tris walked just behind him on his left, letting him lead with her mother close at her side, both of their eyes wandering and taking in the new surroundings. On his right he noticed Andrew level with him, showing as little interest in what was around him as he was.

Suddenly, Tris and her brother made more sense. He could see by her mother's posture that the bowed, humble stance of the Abnegation was a learned behavior for Natalie, that she had come from somewhere people stood proud and tall. Somewhere like Dauntless. It was barely noticeable anymore, but he could see it. And by the look of the man beside him, he was as familiar with Erudite as Eric was.

"They completely renovated the library about six years ago," he said absently, knowing from experience that the curiosity never truly went away. Sure enough, the man's eyes fixed on him as he spoke, and Eric relaxed as he described the changes that had taken place in recent years.

He saw the guards at the doors tense when they saw Natalie and Andrew, and reached around to place his hand gently on Tris's back to draw her level with him. "By my side, act like you belong here."

Her parents fell back behind them, and Eric noticed Andrew reach out to take his wife's hand as they did so. Eric nodded once at the guards, drawing himself up to his full height as he strode forward.

"Gentlemen," he greeted coolly, nudging the side of his jacket aside to show his gun and pulling slightly on Tris's to expose hers as well. The men's eyes fell to them briefly before standing aside, and Eric held back a smirk as the men let her parents pass without question.

The moment they were through the doors a woman he didn't recognize stepped forward with a clipboard.

"Initiate's name?" She asked, not looking up.

"Caleb Prior," Eric responded curtly. The woman's eyes found the name on her sheet and she responded quickly.

"I'm sorry, you're not permitted to be here," she told him crisply, still not looking past her clipboard.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," he said coldly, and the icy tone in his voice finally drew her eyes up to him.

The woman was tiny, smaller even than Tris, and he stepped toward her slightly, towering over her by over a foot. She gave him a frightened look and stepped back from him quickly, looking lost for words.

"Caleb Prior?" Tris asked sharply, drawing the woman's gaze to her before placing her hand absently on her hip. Again Eric fought his grin, Tris made the motion look completely natural, and the woman paled considerably.

"Of course," She said breathlessly. "Right this way." The woman turned and strode away quickly, and Eric shot Tris a wide grin and a nod before following the woman to a table against the back wall.

"Caleb," The woman said when they reached a lone, lanky young man with dark hair and green eyes. He looked up at her with a concerned look on his face, clearly hearing the fear in the woman's voice.

"Beverly?" He asked, sounding confused. The moment he looked up, however, his gaze fell immediately on Eric and he too paled slightly. His eyes went to Tris next, and he saw the moment of confusion before he recognized her.

"Beatrice?" He asked, shock coloring his tone. Eric caught the smile on Tris's face as she walked forward to hug her brother and smiled briefly to himself as her parents stepped forward as well.

"Beverly," he said sharply, making the woman freeze in his peripheral vision as she tried to slip away. All of their eyes turned to him, and he gave her a menacing smile, feeling his piercings pull as he did so. As with everyone else he used that trick on, she looked aside quickly.

"Aren't you going to explain the misunderstanding to your initiate here?" He asked quietly, the threat clear in his voice. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Caleb's eyes flick to him in confusion before the woman answered reluctantly.

"I was instructed to not allow anyone from Abnegation to enter," she whispered. "I'm terribly sorry for any confusion." Eric nodded once before turning his back on her, and he heard her shoes click as she hurried away.

Eric stood back slightly from Tris and her family, catching snatches of their conversation but not truly listening, instead letting his eyes linger on Tris as he considered her and what they may or may not have.

There had been little time for them to be alone together since the first morning in his apartment, room only for him to kiss her briefly when he passed her alone in the hallways or elsewhere. He felt an involuntary smile curve his lips as he remembered making love to her nearly a week ago now, and thought to himself that he would have to find the time again soon.

"Eric," Tris said suddenly, drawing him from his musing.

"Pardon?" He asked, stepping closer to them and letting his persona fall back into place. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else."

"I'm Caleb," The boy introduced, holding his hand out. Eric accepted it, impressed with how quickly he had picked up the gesture.

"Eric," He returned.

"I wanted to thank you for bringing them here today, I didn't realize..." Caleb trailed off, and he nodded in understanding.

"Not a problem," Eric responded quickly. "It was no trouble."

"Eric?" A female voice inquired from somewhere off to his left. Eric placed the voice instantly and closed his eyes briefly in annoyance before turning to face the owner of said voice.

A thin, severe looking woman made her way through the crowd toward him, a tall man with dark hair and gray eyes following behind her, staring at him with a reserved look.

"Mom," he greeted coldly. "Dad." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tris shoot his parents a surprised look before stepping slightly closer to his side, sensing the tension between them.

"I didn't recognize you until I heard you talk Eric, what did you do to your face?" Her voice was crisp and emotionless, showing no sign of happiness at seeing her only child for the first time in two years.

"I joined Dauntless," he responded coldly.

"Obviously, but did you have to get those awful marks on your neck?" His father spoke up this time, and Eric could feel anger burning in his chest. He opened his mouth to respond, but surprisingly enough Tris beat him to it.

"They're leadership tattoos," She told his father coldly. "Only five people in the entire faction have them. It's an honor."

"I see," his father returned. "And you are?"

"One of my best initiates," Eric responded for her, stepping slightly closer to her.

There was a tense silence, and the next voice that sounded made him want to hit something. Did he have to run into everyone he absolutely did not want to see today?

"Eric," came another woman's crisp voice.

"Jeanine," he responded evenly, turning to face her.

Her eyes went immediately to Tris's parents where they stood with Caleb and narrowed slightly. "I wasn't aware you were coming today," she said evenly.

"I took the liberty of escorting them," Eric told her, noticing his own parents taking the opportunity to slip quietly away, shooting him a mildly disgusted look as they went. Good riddance.

"I see," she said slowly. "Beatrice," she greeted next, spotting Tris standing next to him. "How nice to see you again."

"Jeanine," Tris greeted civilly.

"I have to admit, you surprised me at the choosing ceremony given your test results."

"You see those?" She asked, and he looked down at her sharply, not liking the direction the conversation was going or the minute hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Of course, I see all the ones that don't go as planned. Your result was manually entered as Abnegation, so naturally I was intrigued when you chose Dauntless."

"It felt like a better fit," Tris answered her smoothly. "Just because you're good at something doesn't necessarily mean you want to do it the rest of your life."

"Very wise of you," Jeanine complemented.

The rest of the conversation was lost to him as the obvious came together in his mind, making his blood run cold as the truth dawned on him.

Eric thought back to her behavior since she had joined Dauntless, and was amazed that he hadn't seen it before. The subtle behaviors suggested Abnegation, the way she always let her friends get their food first at dinner and the way she had stood up to him for Al. Her aptitude for Dauntless was incredibly clear in her behavior as well, but now he thought back on it he realized that she had an equal aptitude for Abnegation.

The afternoon on the roof came back to him then, the way she had stepped forward to jump first, almost without a second thought. At the time he thought nothing of it, simply thinking she was where she belonged if she was that brave. But now he thought back on it he realized none of the Dauntless born initiates had shown any sign of stepping forward either. It wasn't bravery or selflessness that brought her to that ledge that day, Eric realized. It was logic.

Which pointed to Erudite.

Dimly he realized Jeanine had walked away, and with effort focused on the people in front of him.

"I'm sorry about this but I just remembered I have some paperwork to get done," he said quickly, unable to keep the tension from his voice. He saw Tris give him a long look and knew what she had to be wondering. Unable to help himself he glanced down at her, seeing the sharp awareness in her eyes.

He looked away from her quickly, jerking his head toward Caleb and her parents who were currently saying their farewells. "You should say goodbye to your brother," he told her quickly.

She flinched the slightest bit at his cool tone, and he watched her lose a little bit of color as she did as he said. Tris said her goodbyes quickly, and as soon as the three of them were done he began leading them quickly from the building, not slowing until he reached the car and climbed inside.

Eric's fingers drummed a tense rhythm on the steering wheel as he drove, panic flooding his system as he considered what he knew. Tris was Divergent, and from the looks of it Jeanine was already on to her, which meant that she would expect him to learn the truth and then get rid of her.

Dimly he remembered his own aptitude test, the tense look on the man's face as he told Eric to wait. Jeanine had walked in several minutes later, unaccompanied and with a syringe in her hand. When he asked what it was she had been honest with him.

"It's a euthanizing serum," she had told him bluntly. "You'll go through the rest of your day as normal, and when you fall asleep your heart will stop and you won't wake up."

He could still recall the terror that had raced through him at her words, his confusion at why she would want him dead. When she told him he was Divergent the panic had nearly taken over, but somehow he was able to retain enough sense of mind to beg for his life, to offer to do anything she needed in exchange for letting him live.

"Well, there is _one _thing," she had told him. "Your aptitudes are for Erudite and Dauntless. The leaders there are reluctant to work with me, and I could really use some inside help."

"Done," he agreed instantly. "I'll do anything, just let me live."

Eric shook himself free of his memories and looked down at Tris once more, becoming alarmed at her pallor and the shallow way she was breathing. A moment later remorse stabbed through him as he realized she had been warned about what it meant, that she had probably been told that anyone finding out equalled her death. She shot him a furtive look that turned to terror when she met his gaze, and he recognized the look in her eyes. It was the same one he'd noticed in his own, reflected in Jeanine's glasses when she told him she was going to kill him.

His stomach twisted when he realized she probably expected him to throw her into the Chasm himself. A glance in the mirror proved what he already suspected, that her parents were watching the pair of them with rapt attention, probably thinking along the same lines as Tris.

Ignoring the fact it was sure to make them uncomfortable, Eric reached over and took Tris's hand in his own, lacing his fingers through hers. She turned her head and gave him a cautious, confused look, not responding to him in any other way.

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it tenderly, holding it there for a long moment before speaking quietly. "I can't promise no one will find you," he told her honestly. "But if you go over that rail you'll be in my arms the whole way down."


	9. Chapter 9

**Only two real notes here. First off, as much as I would rather not say anything because I don't like giving hints away before people read the chapter, I have to give a brief warning here. So here is a POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNING pertaining to dark themes, violence, assult and implied rape.**

**On a less morbid note, I have started a Twitter account specifically for my fanfiction, and I would like to try give people following me a heads up on what I may be working on and any new ideas I get, so do me a favor and follow me on Twitter at loveualwaysmom! If you're wondering why I'm not using the 'at' symbol, for some reason the document manager on this site doesn't like symbols. **

**Anyhoo, hopefully everyone likes the chapter. No, I have no idea where the plot twist came from, but I do have vague ideas for where it's going. Do me a wonderful favor and leave me a review at the end, I live for them!**

* * *

The car was silent the rest of the drive back to Abnegation, though the cold tension in the air subsided greatly once Eric had made it clear he wasn't planning on turning Tris in. When they pulled up to the house, Natalie leaned forward in her seat and placed her hand on Eric's shoulder.

"Won't you come in for a minute, maybe stay for dinner?" She offered kindly. Eric turned to her with the intent of denying the request, but at her pointed glance toward his shoulder he turned to Tris instead.

"You okay with that?" He asked.

"Sure, that'd be nice," Tris accepted with a smile. Eric squeezed her hand briefly before getting out of the car and following Tris and her parents to the door, feeling slightly awkward.

When he ducked through the door his eyes were met with an utterly unremarkable home, a plain gray with natural light coming in through the windows and minimal, plain furniture. In the corners he could see candles sitting, waiting for night to fall. Looking around more carefully he realized there was nothing with which to occupy oneself with during downtime, minus some knitting needles and yarn sitting in the corner with a pile of what appeared to be clothing.

Eric stood back against the wall and watched Tris move around her childhood home, mentally replacing the black clad woman he had grown accustomed to as of late with the one he remembered from the first day of initiation a scant two weeks previously. Already he couldn't quite imagine it, couldn't see her as a silent girl in the shadows with her brother, always helping and not speaking unless spoken to. He wasn't familiar with the intricacies of Abnegation's customs, but he knew enough to see why she had left. The lifestyle worked for some, but the more he got to know Tris the less he could picture her fiery personality fitting in here, even if she did technically have the aptitude.

His attention returned to them as Andrew drew off to a chair in the corner with a stack of paper, and Eric dimly remembered the man was on the council. Tris and her mother spoke quietly for a moment, and then Tris went into the same room as her father, picking up the yarn and needles seemingly without consciously thinking about it.

"Eric, why don't you help me with dinner?" Natalie asked him kindly. "If you don't mind, of course."

"Oh of course," he said quickly, following her into the kitchen. His heart quickened slightly in his chest, an Abnegation asking help of anyone was out of character, which told him she had a motive for separating him from the other two. Judging by her glance toward the mark on his neck, it had something to do with his relationship with Tris. The idea of discussing it with her mother made his palms sweat a little.

She gestured to the spot of counter next to herself and he joined her, taking the knife and vegetables she passed him without protest, cutting them with quick, sure strokes as he waited for her to speak.

"So," she began after a minute or so. "Tell me about you."

"What has Tris told you already?" He asked.

"That you were one of the leaders. She described you as complex. But that's all we had time for," she said with a smile.

Eric chuckled. "Complex? That's..." he trailed off. "Startlingly accurate, now I think about it."

"So I've noticed."

"Well, like you said I'm one of the leaders, though I'm low on the totem pole at this point. I transferred from Erudite two years ago, ended up second in my class."

"Who was first?"

"A transfer who goes by the nickname Four now," he told her. After a pause he continued. "You would know him as-"

"Tobias," She finished. "He brought us cake and I happened to recognize him. He seems to fit in well with Dauntless."

"You could say that," Eric chuckled. "He's the only one who was able to land a punch on me at any rate. If it weren't for the fact none of the Dauntless borns could, I would have felt insulted."

"So how did you and Bea- and Tris end up together?" She asked him, correcting herself halfway through Tris's old name.

Eric's hands froze momentarily as he remembered the night in the training room, and blood colored his cheeks. "Um..."

Natalie laughed. "I see."

"I... Not at first, I mean... We didn't, well I kind of..." Eric trailed off, cheeks reddening even more as he struggled to come up with some semblance of an explanation.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," she reassured. "Things are different in Dauntless, I know that."

Eric nodded but stayed silent, wishing the blush would fade from his face. He hated blushing with a passion.

"Eric," she said quietly, in a tone that commanded he look at her. Reluctantly he did so, meeting her eyes. "Do you care about her?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. A lot," he said quietly, still somewhat thrown by just how much.

"You're not used to emotion are you?" She asked him quietly, giving him her full attention.

"You're perceptive," he admitted, looking over her shoulder uncomfortably.

"Some things can't be controlled, and it's best not to try," she said, smiling. Gently she took his hand in her own, making his eyes snap to hers. The Abnegation didn't touch anyone outside their own families this way, much less strangers.

"You're young," Natalie said. "The system calls you an adult but that doesn't mean you don't still need guidance sometimes, and from what I saw of your parents you haven't had anything resembling it in a long time. I know Dauntless, and I know there isn't anyone you could talk to there so I want you to know that if you ever need anything, my home is open to you. Bring anything you want here, and it won't go beyond that door. You have my word."

Eric swallowed thickly, trying to dislodge the lump of emotion brought about by her kindness. It had been a decade or more since anyone had been remotely maternal with him, and the sudden reintroduction of it caught him off guard.

"Keep that in mind, and take good care of my daughter," she told him firmly.

"I will," he returned. "Thank you."

"And I know it's none of my business, but remember to use some kind of protection. You two are too young for kids."

Eric blushed furiously again. "I, um, we are," he muttered uncomfortably. Natalie laughed lightly, and after a moment he joined her.

"Remember," she said sternly. "Any time."

"I will," he assured.

...

It was in a lull of silence as the four of them ate dinner - Tris had never noticed how small their meals were until now - that Tris first heard a terrified scream. She looked up from cutting her meat to stare out the window, and a second urgent scream tore through the air.

The four of them were on their feet in moments, and Tris followed the sound of the screams through the door and down the street into the factionless sector with Eric on her heels. They rounded a corner and saw two figures on the ground, a factionless man pinning an Abnegation girl to the broken pavement next to a building. As they drew closer Tris saw the man holding a hand over the girl's mouth, preventing her from continuing her cries.

The factionless man looked up at the pounding of their footsteps on the pavement and wrenched himself off the girl, pants falling to pool around his knees as he stood. He took off running, or attempted to while trying to right his clothes at the same time, which slowed him greatly. Tris ignored the sick feeling in her stomach as she grew level with the girl and saw the way the gray clothing was torn open, revealing far too much bare skin. Somewhere in the back of her mind Tris registered the girl as her friend Susan, and her eyes again found the retreating figure still struggling to right his pants and flee.

Just behind her Eric was whipping his jacket off his shoulders and covering Susan with it. Tris adjusted her grip on the knife still in her hand from dinner, pulled back her arm and threw it at the retreating back with every bit of strength she had. The knife whipped through the intervening twenty feet and lodged itself deep in the right side of the man's neck, where blood began to rapidly pour out of the wound as he fell to the ground.

Tris panted and looked down to Susan lying on the ground almost directly below her, staring at the man now lying still on the ground in shock. Tris looked to Eric next, who pulled his eyes from the man's body to stare at her instead.

"Nice shot Tris," he told her, sounding impressed.

Tris nodded shakily and knelt on the ground next to Susan, smoothing her hair from her sticky cheeks and wiping her tears. Susan's eyes moved to Tris, staring at her with a look Tris couldn't identify.

"Beatrice?" She asked shakily.

"It's Tris now," she corrected softly. "But yeah, it's me. What happened?"

"I was going to give him my food," she whispered. "But he said that wasn't what he wanted. He said he wanted..." Susan trailed off and more tears flowed down her cheeks. At that moment another gray figure knelt silently beside them, and out of the corner of her eye Tris saw her father walk up beside them.

"Was he able to do it?" Eric asked her quietly. "Did he penetrate you?"

Susan's eyes closed, but she shook her head. "No," she whispered. "He was just about to... Do it, when he saw you and ran. But almost."

Tris heard Eric's sigh of relief, which reflected her own. "Did he hurt you at all? Physically, anyway," Eric amended.

"No, he just tore my clothes off," she whimpered.

"At least we don't have to go to the hospital then," Eric said quietly. "Not unless you'd rather go anyway."

As Tris expected, Susan shook her head. "No, I'm... I'm fine. Just shaken up is all."

"Can you stand?" Tris's mother piped up gently from beside her. Susan turned to her and relaxed slightly, seeming comforted by her mother's quiet presence.

"Yes, I think so. I'm just not covered," she said softly, averting her eyes. Eric sat up and pulled his shirt hurriedly over his head, handing it to Tris before standing and turning his back. Her father did the same, and together Tris and her mother helped Susan to sit up.

Susan was a year younger than Tris, and smaller than her as well. As such, Eric's t shirt was far larger than her small frame, bringing the hem to halfway down her thighs when she stood upright. She tugged the hem nervously, and Tris felt a stab of sympathy for her. In her short time in Dauntless she had become accustomed to short and tight clothes, but for Susan to wear something that showed most of her legs she may as well have been naked.

Tris looked carefully at the neck of the shirt and then Susan's waist, an idea forming in her head.

"Here," she said quickly, stepping up to Susan. "Pull this down farther, around here," she said quickly, pulling the shirt down over her right shoulder and pulling her arm through the neck. Tris stretched the fabric slightly and did the same on the other side, pulling the shirt down until the collar was snug around her waist and leaving her chest bare.

Hurriedly Tris pulled her own jacket off and draped it around Susan's shoulders, who pulled her arms through it and immediately zipped it clear to the throat. Far more of her legs were exposed than was normal for the Abnegation, but the hem of the shirt now came down past her knees. Susan eyed Tris's snug, rib length crop top in shock, but said nothing about it.

"Thank you Tris," she said quietly, attempting to smile at her.

"Are you good?" Eric asked.

"Yes, thank you," Susan told him. Eric turned back around and picked his coat up from the ground, draping it over his arm as he came to stand in front of Susan. Tris noticed the way her eyes lingered over his bare, toned chest just a fraction too long before coming up to his face and bit back a smile.

"Can you walk? If not I can carry you back, it's not a problem."

Susan's eyes widened slightly, and her eyes dropped to his bare torso again before returning to his face. "Oh I'm okay," she assured. "I couldn't ask that of you when my own legs work just fine."

"Fair enough," he said easily. "Tris, go get that knife. We don't need any other factionless getting ahold of it and getting more bright ideas."

Tris nodded and jogged over to the man, now noticing the large pool of blood around him. She realized she must have hit an artery, and crouched gingerly next to the body. Up close she saw that the knife had gone into the man's neck about halfway. Biting back a wave of queasiness Tris grabbed the handle and pulled, cringing at the feel of the serrated edge catching on muscle and the dull sound of tissues tearing as the knife ripped free.

Tris stood quickly and jogged back to Eric's side, relaxing when his arm wrapped around her bare waist. Tris's parents each wrapped an arm around Susan's shoulders and guided her gently forward, leaving Eric and Tris to trail behind them as they walked back to the Abnegation section.

When the rounded the last corners they saw several people standing out in their yards, talking and looking confused. Clearly they had not been the only ones to hear Susan's screams, and all eyes lingered on Eric and Tris's half-dressed forms as they walked quickly to the Black's home.

At the door Eric caught Tris's mother's arm. "Mrs. Prior, we should probably get going," he said quietly. "I think we'll only cause more disruption here."

"Well thank you for staying, and thank you for helping her," she said, taking his hand. She turned to Tris and embraced her tightly, making Tris smile into her mother's hair as she hugged her back.

She pulled back and grasped Tris's shoulders gently. "Take care Tris," she said, smiling.

Surprising both of them she turned to Eric next, standing up on her toes to wrap her arms around his shoulders as well. Tris stifled a giggle at the shocked expression on his face as he uncertainly returned the hug, looking as though he was waiting for the punch line of a joke to fall.

"You too," she said firmly, placing a palm against his cheek and giving him a stern look. "Take good care of my daughter, and remember what I said, okay?"

"I will," he told her quietly with a smile. Tris watched the exchange in surprise, wondering what her mother had said to Eric while they were preparing dinner.

The pair were silent as they got back in the car, Tris glancing at Eric every few seconds in curiosity. About halfway back to Dauntless her eyes lit on a lone tear sliding down his cheek, and Tris reached over to pry his hand from the wheel. Gently she laced her fingers through his before lifting his hand to her lips and placing a soft kiss on it, much the way he had to herself earlier.

"Whatever she told you, she means it," Tris told him.

Eric turned to glance at her briefly before returning his eyes to the road in front of them. She heard him swallow before answering.

"I know," he said quietly, smiling slightly. "I'm glad she does."


End file.
